drinking water
Arsenic Treatment Cost Estimating Tools
Effective January 23, 2006, all community and nontransient noncommunity public water systems must provide water with less than 10 µg/L of arsenic. In 2000, EPA published the Arsenic Rule lowering the maximum contaminant level for arsenic from 50 to 10 µg/L. Since then, New England systems primarily in the north, have been investigating new technologies or finding alternate water sources in order to comply with the 2006 deadline. To help systems determine the costs of installing and maintaining new treatment systems, many organizations developed cost estimating models. NEIWPCC is working with the state drinking water program directors and EPA New England to identify user friendly models that can be used by our member states’ systems. Links to two models are provided below.
Arizona Decision & Costing Tool
Like New England, Arizona has many small systems with arsenic levels exceeding 10 µg/L. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality developed their web-based model to help systems, particularly those serving less than 500, determine treatment options and associated costs. Read a NEIWPCC prepared description of Arizona Arsenic Decision and Costing Tool and its applications. Use the web-based model online.
Cost Estimating Program for Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water Supplies by Adsorptive Media
and Anion Exchange Processes
This user friendly Excel spreadsheet was developed for the EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) by Battelle and is available online.
To view more publications on treatment technologies and costs, visit EPA’s Arsenic Rule Implementation Research.
EPA New England’s arsenic webpage provides additional information.